WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - With a sharp pullback in auto sales more than offset by strength in other areas, the Commerce Department released a report on Thursday showing U.S. retail sales rose in line with economist estimates in the month of December.
The Commerce Department said retail sales climbed by 0.3 percent in December, matching the upwardly revised increase in November.
Economists had expected retail sales to rise by 0.3 percent compared to the 0.2 percent uptick originally reported for the previous month.
Excluding auto sales, retail sales increased by 0.7 percent in December after coming in unchanged in November. Ex-auto sales had been expected to climb by 0.5 percent.
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